Here'sthe most surprising fact you might not know about Sebastian Inlet, the fishing and surfing mecca located at Brevard county's southern tip: It's man-made. For 50 years, starting in 1872, repeated failed attempts were made to cut an opening connecting the Indian River Lagoon to the Atlantic. Finally, despite fierce opposition from citrus growers and railroad magnate Henry Flagler, the inlet was born in 1923.

90 years later, Sebastian Inlet State Park teems with wildlife and is renowned for its best-in-Florida surfing spot at the inlet's north jetty. But it's the legendary pier fishing that draws most to Sebastian, which Florida's park service describes as "the premier saltwater fishing spot on Florida's east coast."

• Click here for a multimedia time-lapse video on Scenes from Sebastian• Click here to see my photo gallery on a day at Sebastian Inlet.